On Wednesday, the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal benefits to married, same-sex couples.

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam talked about the decisions in the Tri-Cities Friday.

He says while the decision might spark new conversations among lawmakers, he doesn't expect major changes here at home.

"I think that what you're seeing from the federal government and Supreme Court is saying 'we're going to let the states decide. They're going to make their own decisions on that.' I think Tennessee historically and definitely in the last several years has been very strong for traditional marriage and I would be very surprised if the legislature changed on that," he said.

Wednesday's ruling will have no direct effect on constitutional amendments in 29 states, including Tennessee, that limit marriage to heterosexual couples.